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Flannelling by IT man? Can anyone advise the difference between a computer in 'sleep' and 'shut down'

Marianne72

Ive used the same IT man for years to repair and replace various computers. But lately as I learn more, I wonder if I'm being flannelled. £60 for brief advice today seems a lot which is why I am beginning to wonder if I am being stupid! Can anyone please advise, the difference between a computer in 'sleep mode' and 'shut down.' Is it ok to leave a laptop plugged in all the time or does it wear the battery out? Is it best to shut down all the time or can I 'sleep' it most of the time. Advice would be appreciated. 

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  • I tried to post this a few days ago but it didn't seem to work, so here it is again....

    There is a difference between sleep and turning it off, when it's sleeping it has to use a tiny bit of power to keep its memory on. When it's turned off everything is stored to the disk. So if you leave it sleeping and not plugged in eventually the battery will run out (or on some types of computer it will turn itself off before that happens).

    And keeping the battery constantly topped up does shorten the life a bit. In fact on Apple laptops, if they think you don't use the battery much they stop charging at 80%.

    But most people don't worry about these things, they are not massive effects unless you plan on keeping your computer a long long time and rely on the battery to have its full capacity.

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  • I tried to post this a few days ago but it didn't seem to work, so here it is again....

    There is a difference between sleep and turning it off, when it's sleeping it has to use a tiny bit of power to keep its memory on. When it's turned off everything is stored to the disk. So if you leave it sleeping and not plugged in eventually the battery will run out (or on some types of computer it will turn itself off before that happens).

    And keeping the battery constantly topped up does shorten the life a bit. In fact on Apple laptops, if they think you don't use the battery much they stop charging at 80%.

    But most people don't worry about these things, they are not massive effects unless you plan on keeping your computer a long long time and rely on the battery to have its full capacity.

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